Not satisfied with the billions of dollars earned from defense contracts, leading arms manufacturers now want some of the credit for killing Osama bin Laden.

Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, a conservative think tank that supports the work of defense contractors, wrote that companies like Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman deserve kudos for helping take out al-Qaeda’s financial leader.

“Is it really asking too much for some sort of official acknowledgement of the role that private enterprise played in the Bin Laden raid?” asked Thompson. “Based on published reports, the satellites and surveillance drone were probably built by Lockheed Martin, using sensors and other gear developed by Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Raytheon probably led development of the network that processed and disseminated key imagery. The Sikorsky unit of United Technologies probably modified Blackhawk helicopters so the SEALS could fly into Pakistan undetected by local forces and Bin Laden supporters. And Chinook helicopters made by Boeing were vital to the initial staging of the operation.”

Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but the Lexington Institute receives, in Thompson’s words, “quite a significant” amount of its funding from defense contractors.